Let’s call him Kwaku Boateng. He is a 30-year-old man from Effiduase/Ghana, studying in Finland. He came to Finland four years ago after he got accepted to a university of applied sciences. He has learned the hard way what it’s like to study, work and try to adjust to a completely different culture at the same time.

Many Finnish universities of applied sciences arrange entrance examinations in developing countries because their English courses lack students. In May 2007 Kwaku decided to attend the examination for Information Technology in a town in Eastern Finland. The examination was held in the capital of Ghana and after Kwaku had done his best he just had to wait for the results. The results came and on that day he had a reason to be happy. All those who apply for a visa to Finland in West Africa have to go to Nigeria for an interview, because there is the nearest Finnish embassy. To get a visa you have to prove that you have 6000 Euros in your account. This is to assure that you will get along in Finland for some time, even if you were left with no job. Most of the African applicants borrow this money from friends and family, show the account statement at the embassy and then return the money to the owners. So did Kwaku. He also does this once a year when his visa needs to be renewed. Not many students have 6000 Euros in their accounts - whether Finnish or Ghanaian.

Student’s life in FinlandKwaku moved to Finland and started studying IT in a smaller town in Eastern Finland. He struggled three months there, but since there was no job to be found, he was forced to move to the capital Helsinki hoping for better chances. He didn’t attend classes any more. He lived at his cousin’s place and was delivered averts to get some money, around 100 Euros per month. Soon he got two more part time jobs and later a contract with the post as a postman. He applied for a university of applied sciences in Helsinki for Media engineering and got accepted and started in September 2008. Now he is a fourth year student. During his first year his normal day would go like this:
School from 8-18.00o’clock, coming home after 19.00, studying, sleeping from 21-24, going to work at 01, closing at 5.30 sleeping for one hour and then back to school. On weekends he would work as a cleaner in a hotel.
He continued doing the same thing for the second and third year but the school was a bit more flexible and being able to buy a car helped him with the commute to work that used to take two hours. The work at the post was delivering the mail to apartment houses so it meant running up the stairs, running down, going to the next building, running up again - and running down.
On his 3rd year he cut down on working at the Post so that he could receive some money from Kela - the Finnish social security agency. To receive support (around 450 Euros per month for studying and living) you are not allowed to earn more than around 600 Euros a month. Due to this, most of the African students decide to work more and to not take money from Kela because that way you are able to earn more. He is also sending some money back home to support his family. Earning around 1000 Euros a month is not much for Finland when you have to pay your rent, pay the bills, buy food and save up for your family.

Studying in GhanaThere are a couple quite good universities in Ghana. It isn’t easy to get accepted to those. If Kwaku were studying in Ghana his life would be more flexible. In Ghana it is not really possible to work and study at the same time as barely any part-time jobs are available so he would just have to concentrate on the studies. Financing his studies would be up to his family or his own savings. A rough estimate for study costs per school year including the study materials and school fees is around 1000 Euros. This is unfortunately too much for many Ghanaians. Kwaku used to study building technology at a Ghanaian Polytechnic school for four years, of which almost a full year the students and teachers were on strike.
In Finland he feels like he receives quality education, good practical education and the methods used for teaching are often better. With his diploma he will have more opportunities, more respect and more jobs available for him.

FriendsWhen it comes to being a student in a European country, Kwaku is happy that he can move around in Europe easily. Since he has an A-status visa (working visa) for Finland he doesn’t need to apply for visas for other Schengen countries. He has been able to visit some other European countries. He considers the Euro and Schengen contract good things but apart from those he doesn’t think the EU helps him in any other way. Kwaku is now a fourth year student and still working at the post at night and attending school by day. He thinks he can understand the Finnish culture pretty well now. Other than his Finnish girlfriend and her friends he doesn’t have any Finnish friends. It is easier to stick to the Africans since you are already occupied with work and studies, how would you find time and means to make friends with the Finns who slowly warm to strangers. The studies are in English and the exchange and foreign students easily stick together. Kwaku spends most of his spare time with other Ghanaians. He wants to learn Finnish and is now attending a Finnish course just for his own education. Learning the language is essential when it comes to getting a job. Maybe after his studies Kwaku might consider working in Finland as an option if a suitable job could be found.

The dream of the western worldMost of the Ghanaians admire the Western world and dream of living here. It hasn’t really been a dream that Kwaku and his fellow Africans have been living - that’s for sure. He is happy he is doing this yet his life is far from glamorous, less lively than it would be in Ghana and all about studying and working. There is no time for mingling and making friends so it’s no wonder many foreign students feel like outsiders and isolated. Too many Finns also seem to think the foreign students are just some “free passengers” who benefit from our government and don’t do anything when in reality it is often the opposite way.Tuulia, 20, Finland